Bernardo Jacome

Bernardo, known by his friends and family as Bernie, was born In the Andean city of Quito, located in the highlands of Ecuador. His grandfather, however, moved to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-70s, and worked as one of the first Naturalist Guides, living in the town of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, to this day.

Bernie did his schooling in Quito but would spend every holiday in the islands since the age of 5, when he learnt to swim and fell in love with the nature of this magical archipelago.  By experiencing the contrast between life in a big city and in the small town of Puerto Ayora, he realized that his heart lay with the simplicity and beauty of a life surrounded by nature, and the ocean in particular, which led him to move to Galapagos permanently as soon as he could. As he grew older, he learned to sail, snorkel and eventually became certified as a PADI free diver, allowing him to explore further and deeper.

In 2017, Bernie jumped at the opportunity to take the rigorous exam to get into a highly coveted Galapagos Naturalist Guide course run by the Galapagos National Park Service and is now overjoyed to be living his dream and following in his grandfather’s footsteps. When not in Galapagos, he also works with his father in Lita, a little village located in the north of mainland Ecuador where his family owns approximately 200 acres of protected rainforest, promoting the growing, harvesting and use of bamboo as a sustainable material for construction.

Bernie is a huge fan of martial arts, music production, photography and surfing, and is always up for any marvelous adventure that comes his way, such as leading visitors through his beloved islands.  His biggest wish is to raise awareness so that one day the human race will finally learn the importance of cohabiting in harmony with the other species that inhabit our planet.